Sunday, August 15, 2010

Twin Memories


One of the many places I've called home was the wonderful town of Twin Falls, Idaho. "Twin," as the locals call it, is one of those central towns surrounded primarily by farming communities. Probably it's greatest claim to fame is the failed jump of Evel Knievel over the Snake River Canyon back in 1974. (Look it up on the web if you have no idea what I'm referring to)
It was actually a great place to live. And like most areas of the world, there were some quirky things about it. First off, it was named after a set of falls from the Snake River. At this point of the river, there was a big land section in the middle, with the river going around either side then off a deep drop causing "Twin Falls." Well, at least there was until they dammed up one of the falls and put in a power station or something. Perhaps they should have changed the name of the town to "Single Falls", or "The Town Previously Known as Twin Falls" with just a symbol representing two waterfalls as the official logo.
That part of the country is also next to the stunning Sawtooth Mountains. As a prominent landmark, it was the inspiration for many a business and schools in the area. There is Sawtooth Elementary, Sawtooth Vacuum, Sawtooth Heating and Air Conditioning, and my personal favorite: Sawtooth Dental. Granted, that last one could be taken the wrong way.
Twin Falls had several car dealerships. Though sadly it seems they have since changed owners, while we were there the local Ford dealership was owned by Jules Harrison. I still recall the sign out front. In small letters was the name "Jules" followed by large, bold words that read "Harrison Ford." (True story!)
Then there was the cruisin' of Blue Lakes Blvd on Friday night (or was it Saturday, or both?). Blue Lakes was the main street down the heart of the town. On cruisin' nights, people would drive up and down Blue Lakes with windows down, music blaring, girls trying to pick up guys, guys trying to pick up girls, and me, trying to get home after directing the 10 o'clock newscast. There was more than one occasion where girls would drive up next to me and honk and wave (me thinks they were partaking of the strong drink). I found this particularly humorous because I was driving what my wife and I called our B.M.W. (Big Mormon Wagon--AKA Minivan) It should have been obvious if I was cruisin' for chicks (as they called it) I would drive something that didn't shout "I'm married and have a lot of kids!"
But I think my favorite memory of all of Twin Falls was also one of the more surreal experiences I've had in my life. When I started training at the TV station, it was in the mornings. On my second day to work, I was a more familiar with the route, so I got it look around a bit more when driving. It was still dark, but there were store signs lit up. One of these stores was called "Tuesday Morning." I'm not sure what type of store it was, but I remember thinking, "Wait, there is a store there named Tuesday Morning, and right now it is Tuesday morning. When I drive by here tomorrow, will it say Wednesday Morning?"
The answer? Go to Twin Falls and see for yourself.

1 comment:

  1. ROFL! Yep, that's "Twin" Falls. I always wondered why they didn't change the name after damming up the falls. Hey, did you know Jay Michaels? He's worked at KMVT forever. I graduated with him (Jerome). My husband and I now live in Kimberly, own Maxie's there. I bet you can remember that one too. Small world,eh?

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